MY BEST PLACES IN THE WORLD

Another of those Republicans totally conflicted about Donald Trump showed his true colors.  While he has more recently played the good republican, a new book says:

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has privately called Trump a "despicable human" and unfit for office despite endorsing him, a new book reveals.

Written by Associated Press Deputy Washington Bureau Chief Michael Tackett, this biography title The Price of Power, will be released October 29, a week before Election Day.

About the 6January2021 attack on the Capitol:

“There’s no question, none, that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day,” McConnell said at the time, arguing the chamber has no power over a former president.

Trump, too, has had nasty words for McConnell over the years. After McConnell's public remarks following Jan. 6, Trump called him a "dour, sullen, and unsmiling political hack."

Yet, McConnell has endorsed Trump for president.  Huh???  What's wrong with these Republican leaders???

Okay, back to the topic of the day.  Yesterday, I indicated that San Francisco Bay was my second home-town.  I later realized that town is too limited.  Place would be about right.  One of my books, SIMPLE SOLUTIONS for Humanity, ends by selecting the worst and best places in the world. 

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  Starts with the greatest civilizations.  No place listed, as this part indicated how Homo sapiens, we, evolved.
• Then come the early stages of China, India, Egypt and Fertile Crescent.

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  Greeks and Romans.  Incredibly enough, men did not wear pants, until the later Romans.  Read this.
• The Americas, including Mayans, Incans and Aztec Empire.
• A few terrible places to live today, as for example, India, Russia and Papua New Guinea.
• Part 8 explores Seoul.
• Then goes on to Hangzhou, Cairo and Reunion.
• Places begin to get better with Mauritius, Norway, London, Scotland, Ireland, 
• Parts 16 and 17 provide surveys of best places.
• Finally, in Part 35, the best place in the world, Honolulu.  #2 was San Francisco and #3 Norway.

So how have my views changed over that 16-year period, for I have gone around the world at least half a dozen more times and just my Star Alliance flights are approaching 3 million miles?  That graphic to the right shows what "experts" thought.  I must have different reasons.

So here are my current top dozen places:

• #  1  Hawaii.  After all, I was born in Honolulu, have spent most of my life here, and live there today.
• #  2  San Francisco Bay Area.
• #  3  Japan.  Our Spring 2025 trip will start there for the Osaka World Expo, then an Oceania cruise to Vancouver, Canada.
• #  4  Southern California, from Oxnard through Los Angeles, La Jolla and San Diego.  This is where our current cruise has spent the past day.  We are now off to Mexico.
• #  5  Southeast Asia+, especially Thailand and Singapore, although Viet Nam can also be included.  Our global journey I call OMEGA, for Our Monumental Epic Global Adventure, was detailed in this posting, and we will stop by Thailand and Singapore, have three cruises, one which will start in Doha, Qatar to Mauritius, and then the the first portion of the Queen Mary II sail from Southampton, through the Panama Canal up to San Francisco, then home to Honolulu.  #5 expands Southeast Asia+ to parts of the Middle East (like Dubai and Doha), plus Mauritius in the Indian Ocean.
• #  6  Canada
• #  7  Oceania, or Australia and New Zealand.
• #  8  The Oriental countries of South Korea and Taiwan, plus city of Hong Kong.
• #  9  Europe.
• #10  The Eastern portion of the USA, including Washington, D.C., New York and Boston.
• #11  The Southern portion of the US, including Louisiana and Florida.
• #12  The Middle portion of the USA, including national parks, etc.  

Hope to finally visit all the above again by the end of 2027.  For now, we are on the Norwegian Encore, for lunch.  Stella beer, prosecco and a bowl of noodles, ending with an ice cream cone.

We sat on our veranda for departure from Los Angeles.  First, the Majestic Princess left.  Has 3600 passengers, to our 4000.  I think we're both headed for the Panama Canal, for that ship was to our port side all day on Friday.

Half an hour later, we departed.

Note the sign.  This was San Pedro Port.  There is no Los Angeles equivalent.

For dinner, we went the District Brewhouse.  In addition to sitting inside the restaurant, one can eat overlooking the Atrium, where a Bandaoke concert was being held.  

Then we went to a piano bar for more drinks.

Finally, The Cavern, for karaoke

Walked 4196 steps today,

Tomorrow we arrive in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

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